Ash Wednesday Fast & Abstinence:

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. Catholics older than the age of 14 are supposed to abstain from meat. In addition, those between the ages of 18 and 59, not including pregnant or nursing mothers, should eat only one full meal. Smaller amounts of food, not as much as a full meal, may be eaten in the morning and either at lunchtime or dinner, depending on when you eat your full meal.

The Practice of Ash Wednesday:

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Catholics. The ashes we receive on our foreheads in the shape of a cross serve as an outward sign of our need for repentance and of penance.

The tradition of receiving ashes has its origins in the Hebrew Scriptures, where sinners performed acts of public penance by covering themselves with ashes. It was Pope Urban II, who in the 11th century, recommended that all Catholics take part in the practice of receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Dominican Heritage and Ash Wednesday:

Every Year the Pope, Bishop of Rome, begins the cycle of Lenten celebrations by presiding at the Ash Wednesday Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina. This is the Church of the Convent of the Friars of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans. It is the house where the Master of the Order of Preachers (The Teacher of the Preachers) resides.

If you catch the Papal Mass celebrated on Ash Wednesday on TV you will see both Dominican Priest and Sisters hosting the Roman Pontiff at the Basilica.